Waiting Social Stories

Waiting can be hard. Let’s practise what I can do while I wait.

Choose something you’re waiting for.

All the stories

Waiting for my turn on the slide — There is a line of children at the slide ladder, and I am in it.
Waiting for a swing — Someone else is on the swing, and I want a go.
Waiting for my turn in a game — We are playing a board game, and it is someone else’s go.
Waiting for a turn with a toy — My friend is playing with the toy car, and I want it too.
Waiting for my teacher to help me — I am stuck on my work, and my teacher is helping someone else.
Waiting for my teacher to pick me — I know the answer, but lots of hands are up and my teacher picks one.
Waiting in a line at school — My class is lining up at the door, and we have to wait to go in.
Waiting for playtime — It is work time now, and playtime comes after.
Waiting for school to finish — It is story time at the end of the day, and then it is home time.
Waiting for a snack — I asked for a snack, and the answer was “not yet”: tidy-up comes first.
Waiting for dinner — I’m hungry, and dinner is still cooking in the pot.
Waiting for my food at a café — We ordered at the café, and the kitchen is cooking the food.
Waiting for a treat — I want something from the treat jar, and dinner comes first. Then I can ask.
Waiting for Mum or Dad — Mum is at work, Grandma is looking after me, and Mum comes home after work.
Waiting to be picked up — School is over, other children have gone home, and my teacher waits with me.
Waiting for my friend — My friend is coming over to play, and they are not here yet.
Waiting for the bus — We are at the bus stop, and nobody knows exactly when the bus will come.
Waiting to leave the house — My shoes are on and I am ready, but Mum is still getting ready.
Waiting to go somewhere exciting — We are going to the beach after lunch, and I want to go right now.
Waiting at the checkout — We are in the line at the shop checkout, and someone is paying before us.
Waiting while we shop — Mum is looking at the shelves for a long time, and I want to go somewhere else.
Waiting at the doctor — We are in the doctor’s waiting room, and someone else is going in first.
Waiting at the dentist — I am in the dentist’s chair, and the dentist is getting things ready.
Waiting for my number to be called — My ticket says 14, and the board is still on 12.
Waiting for my birthday — My birthday is coming, but there are still some sleeps to go.
Waiting to open a present — There is a present for me on the table, and it isn’t time to open it yet.
Waiting for a surprise — Dad has a surprise for me, and I don’t know what it is.
Waiting for screen time — The tablet is off, and screen time comes after reading time.
Waiting for a game to load — My game is loading, and nobody knows exactly how long it will take.
Waiting when plans are delayed — We are stuck in traffic on the way somewhere, and nobody knows how long it will take.

For grown-ups

Each story walks through one real waiting situation: what is happening, what your child wants, how waiting might feel, what is true, what they can do and say, and what happens next.

Using the stories

Read the story before the hard wait, when things are calm — not in the middle of it.
Give truthful estimates. “After two more turns” is better than “in a minute” if a minute is not true.
A visual timer helps when you genuinely know how long. If you do not know, say so.
Do not promise an exact wait you cannot guarantee. The stories never do.
Praise the specific skill: “You found something to do while you waited.”
Build waiting up gradually — a few seconds, then a little longer.

Waiting is not always “yes”

Some stories end with the thing arriving. Others say, honestly, that plans can change or the answer might still be no. That is on purpose: waiting is a skill, not a deal.

Good to know

Nothing is scored. Every feeling a child picks gets the same warm reply.
Recent stories and favourites are remembered only in this browser.
This is an educational resource, not therapy or medical advice.

More from Roo Bloom

30 waiting stories. Nothing is scored. Recent stories and favourites are kept only in this browser. This is an educational resource, not therapy or medical advice.

Waiting Social Stories

Make it theirs

Using the stories

Waiting is not always “yes”

Good to know

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